Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will be headlined by WWE Hall of Famer Edge making his first appearance on the brand.
Month: February 2021
Lars Sullivan Reportedly No-Showed WWE Tapings, Lars On What Led To His Release
Lars Sullivan reportedly no-showed WWE TV tapings before he was released.
On Tuesday, it was revealed by PWInsider that WWE quietly released Sullivan back in January some time. Dave Meltzer noted on the F4Wonline.com message board that at one point WWE Chairman & CEO really wanted to push Lars, but that changed over time. Lars reportedly no-showed WWE TV tapings before he was released.
There’s no word on when Lars actually no-showed, but WWE was working a new storyline with him in late October and November before he disappeared from TV for the last time. His last match came on the October 23 SmackDown show, when he defeated Chad Gable. He defeated Jeff Hardy the week before that, which was his TV return match. WWE began airing vignettes and sitdown interviews with Lars in late October and November, but nothing ever came of it.
Lars spoke with Fightful Select on Tuesday afternoon and confirmed the departure, noting that he was surprised WWE didn’t announce it themselves. Lars chalked the release up to WWE being nice about everything, and he was very complimentary of how the company handled his departure. He added that they released him with “compassion and honesty.”
Sullivan noted that he told WWE he was done with pro wrestling after battling crippling anxiety issues, to the point of struggling to eat during days where they were doing TV tapings. He also had trouble sleeping. Lars lost his father last year, which added to an already-tough year for him. He said he is his own worst enemy, and owned up to multiple issues that prevented him from gaining traction in what he described as his dream job.
Regarding his future, Sullivan also said he’s likely done with pro wrestling. He once again took responsibility for the issues that led to his departure, calling some of his actions “idiocy” and “his own selfish behavior.” Lars was also grateful for the experience with WWE.
One WWE source noted that they saw Lars’ shirtless sitdown interviews with Michael Cole as “sabotage, but if it was a test, he passed it.”
Sullivan said he liked doing the promo segment and saw it as WWE trying to add more depth to his character. He revealed that he was given specific instructions to breath heavy through his nose, and use the verbiage that he did.
Lars reiterated that he was treated well by both the WWE office and others in the locker room, noting that this was not a case of bullying.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Impact Wrestling Preview 2/2/2021
IMPACT! tonight at 8/7c on AXS TV and Twitch!
* AEW’s Matt Hardy and Private Party will appear
* Jordynne Grace w/Jazz vs. Susan w/Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee
* Madman Fulton w/Ace Austin vs. Josh Alexander
* Tasha Steelz w/Kiera Hogan vs. Havok w/Neveah
* X-Division Champion TJP vs Rohit Raju
* News on Ken Shamrock’s attack after last week’s Impact went off the air.
WWE RAW Preview 2/1/2021
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg with fallout from the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
WWE is teasing that The Road to WrestleMania 37 will continue with tonight’s RAW. WWE Hall of Famer Edge is likely to appear to celebrate his Men’s Rumble win, but they are also teasing a possible appearance by SmackDown Superstar Bianca Belair to follow up on her Women’s Rumble win.
No matches have been announced for tonight’s show but it’s likely that new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will appear. It’s also possible that Riddle will get his title shot from WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley.
Below is WWE’s teaser for tonight:
What will be the fallout following Royal Rumble?
In the wake of the incredible 2021 Royal Rumble, what will be the fallout when The Road to WrestleMania continues on Monday Night Raw?
Will Royal Rumble Match winners Edge and/or SmackDown’s Bianca Belair emerge to name which World Champion they will challenge at The Showcase of the Immortals? Who else might step into the spotlight as Superstars begin to position themselves for a place on The Grandest Stage of Them All?
Don’t miss Raw, tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network.
John Cena Says He Will Not Be At WrestleMania 37
Veteran WWE Superstar John Cena says he will not be at WrestleMania 37.
Cena just spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to promote his new Mountain Dew campaign, which you can find full details on at this link. The former WWE Champion said he cannot make WrestleMania for the first time since WrestleMania 19 in 2003.
Cena is currently in Vancouver to film the Peacemaker series for HBO Max. He noted that he is unable to make it to Tampa for WrestleMania 37, and then back to Canada for filming, due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Peacemaker series began filming in mid-January, and Cena says the show will wrap in July. He added that there is no logistical way he can make it to WWE’s biggest show of the year in April.
“Currently, I’m in Vancouver shooting Peacemaker, the series for HBO Max,” Cena said. “Given the quarantine regulations, if I were to leave Canada, upon return I would have to quarantine for another two weeks. Essentially, that would shut production down. Strictly based on the letter of the law right now, there is no logistical way I can be there. We film now until July.”
Cena laughed at the idea that he is now among the group of part-time WWE Superstars that return for the biggest shows of the year.
“What a hypocritical situation,” Cena said, laughing. “I used to be very open about the fact that part-timers were just that, and here I am at 44 years old and I’ve become what I despise, as they say. That is kind of what it is.”
SI noted how it looks like Cena’s return to WrestleMania will be at WrestleMania 38 in Texas in 2022, or at WrestleMania 39 in 2023 in Hollywood. Cena commented on being excited for the Peacemaker series, and reiterated how he won’t be able to make WrestleMania 37. Speculation on Cena’s WrestleMania return began when WWE recently used Cena, and other Superstars, for the promo video that announced the dates and locations for the next three WrestleMania events.
“It’s a wonderful episodic show, and it’s an amazing opportunity,” he said. “It’s a challenge I wanted, and I get to work with awesome people. James Gunn is writing and directing, which is amazing, and it’s something I couldn’t pass up.
“It’s very difficult to say because I know it’s going to be disappointing for a lot of people, but according to the letter of regulation right now, there is no mathematical way I can be at WrestleMania this year.”
It was recently reported that Cena was a “100% lock” for WrestleMania 37 this year. Triple H commented on Cena’s WrestleMania status during a separate interview with Sports Illustrated last month.
“I won’t put words in John’s mouth, but I can speak to his passion, and it’s WWE and WrestleMania,” Triple H said. “Once you do this at a high level, and John does it at the highest, it’s very hard to put down. If there is a way for him to be there, he will be there.”
Cena made his first WrestleMania appearance in 2003, performing a rap. The next year he made his in-ring debut on The Grandest Stage of Them All by defeating Big Show to capture the WWE United States Title in the opening match of WrestleMania 20. Cena has not been seen since losing the Firefly Fun House Match to “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Christian Talks Future Plans After Royal Rumble Return
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Christian made an unexpected in-ring comeback during Sunday’s 30-Man Royal Rumble match, entering at the #24 position.
The return was particularly shocking since Captain Charisma told The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast last year that there is “zero chance” of him returning to the ring for another match. Although Christian had a brief match on RAW against Randy Orton last June, this was his first real in-ring action since March 2014.
After the 2021 Royal Rumble went off the air, Christian caught up with WWE Network for a backstage interview.
“It was surreal [to be in the ring after 7 years] to be honest with you,” said Christian. “I didn’t know what to expect. You know its funny, everybody has a plan until you get hit. And that’s exactly what happened to me. I got hit once and I was like, ‘ok, its on.’ This is what I was born to do, so I felt like I was home.”
Christian said he went to great lengths to keep his comeback a secret.
“I was playing coy all day in the locker room since nobody knew what was going on. It was a fun surprise.”
When asked to react on his best friend and former tag team partner, Edge, winning the men’s Rumble match, Christian said, “If I couldn’t win it, I’m glad he did.”
What’s next for Christian? “All I was ever promised was one more match. That could be it,” he said.
See below to watch the interview:
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Torrie Wilson, Victoria And Other Legends Make Surprise Appearances In Women’s Royal Rumble, NXT Stars In The Rumble
The 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble match saw a number of female superstars from yesteryear make surprise appearances.
Both Jillian Hall and former WWE Women’s Champion Victoria entered the match at the 8 and 10 spots, respectively, each resurfacing in WWE for the first time in over a decade.
WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson entered the match at number 17. This was Wilson’s second Royal Rumble bid, as she previously entered the match in 2018.
Alicia Fox also competed in her second Royal Rumble match tonight, with her first appearance coming in 2019.
Mickie James entered the rumble at number 19.
There was some entrants from NXT. Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Santana Garrett, Dakota Kai and Ember Moon.
Christian, Kane, Carlito And More Make Surprise Appearances In Men’s Royal Rumble Match
The 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble saw a number of WWE legends make surprise appearances during the match.
Carlito entered the match early on, making his first in-ring WWE appearance in over a decade. Fans will remember the former WWE Tag Team Champion was announced for the recent Legends Night edition of Monday Night RAW, but ultimately did not appear on that show.
Legends like Kane and Hurricane popped up late into the match. This was Kane’s 20th appearance in a Royal Rumble, further extending his record. Former World Heavyweight Champion Christian made an unexpected entrance at the #24 position. While Christian technically had a brief match against Randy Orton on a June 2020 edition of RAW, this was Captain Charisma’s first real physical in-ring action since 2014. Christian’s return comes less than a year after he said there was “zero chance” that he would wrestle again.
NXT’s Damian Priest was the lone entrant from the black and yellow brand. The Archer of Infamy has been rumored for a main roster call-up for a while now, so it will be interesting to see if he pops up on RAW or SmackDown this week. The former North American Champion was previously scheduled for a blue brand debut at the turn of the new year, but it never came to fruition.
Making their returns to active competition were Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman, who entered the match and 29 and 30, respectively. Rollins had been off WWE TV since “sacrificing” himself during the men’s elimination match at Survivor Series, while Strowman had been inactive since being “indefinitely suspended” last November.
2021 WWE Royal Rumble Results
MEN’S ROYAL RUMBLE
Edge wins the Royal Rumble
ENTRANTS
1. WWE Hall of Famer Edge
2. Randy Orton
3. Sami Zayn
4. Mustafa Ali
5. Jeff Hardy
6. SmackDown Tag Team Champion Dolph Ziggler
7. Shinsuke Nakamura
8. Carlito
9. Xavier Woods
10. WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E
11. John Morrison
12. Ricochet
13. Elias
14. Damian Priest
15. The Miz
16. Riddle
17. Daniel Bryan
18. Kane
19. King Baron Corbin
20. Otis
21. Dominik Mysterio
22. WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley
23. “The Hurricane” Shane Helms
24. Christian
25. AJ Styles
26. Rey Mysterio
27. Sheamus
28. Cesaro
29. Seth Rollins
30. Braun Strowman
ELIMINATIONS
1. Jeff Hardy (by Dolph Ziggler)
2. Sami Zayn (by The New Day)
3. Xavier Woods (by Mustafa Ali)
4. Mustafa Ali (by Big E)
5. Carlito (by Elias)
6. Elias (by Damian Priest)
7. The Miz (by Damian Priest)
8. John Morrison (by Damian Priest)
9. Dolph Ziggler (by Kane)
10. Ricochet (by Kane)
11. Kane (by Damian Priest)
12. Shinsuke Nakamura (by King Corbin)
13. Otis (by King Corbin)
14. King Corbin (by Dominik Mysterio)
15. Dominik Mysterio (by Bobby Lashley)
16. Damian Priest (by Bobby Lashley)
17. “The Hurricane” Shane Helms (by Big E, Bobby Lashley)
18. Bobby Lashley (by Riddle, Daniel Bryan, Big E, Christian)
19. Big E (by Omos)
20. Rey Mysterio (by Omos)
21. Cesaro (by Braun Strowman)
22. Sheamus (by Braun Strowman)
23. AJ Styles (by Braun Strowman)
24. Daniel Bryan (by Seth Rollins)
25. Riddle (by Seth Rollins)
26. Braun Strowman (by Edge)
27. Christian (by Edge)
28. Seth Rollins (by Edge)
29. Randy Orton (by Edge)
Winner: Edge
WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP (LAST MAN STANDING MATCH)
Roman Reigns (c) with Paul Heyman defeated Kevin Owens
WOMEN’S ROYAL RUMBLE
Bianca Belair wins the Royal Rumble
ENTRANTS
1. Bayley
2. Naomi
3. Bianca Belair
4. Billie Kay
5. Shotzi Blackheart
6. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Shayna Baszler
7. Toni Storm
8. Jillian Hall
9. Ruby Riott
10. Victoria
11. Peyton Royce
12. Santana Garrett
13. Liv Morgan
14. Rhea Ripley
15. Charlotte Flair
16. Dana Brooke
17. WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson
18. Lacey Evans
19. Mickie James
20. Nikki Cross
21. Alicia Fox
22. Mandy Rose
23. Dakota Kai
24. Carmella
25. Tamina Snuka
26. Lana
27. Alexa Bliss
28. Ember Moon
29. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Nia Jax
30. Natalya
ELIMINATIONS
1. Shotzi Blackheart (by Shayna Baszler)
2. Jillian Hall (by Billie Kay)
3. Billie Kay (by Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott)
4. Toni Storm (by Rhea Ripley)
5. Victoria (by Shayna Baszler)
6. Santana Garrett (by Rhea Ripley)
7. Ruby Riott (by Bayley)
8. Liv Morgan (by Peyton Royce)
9. Dana Brooke (by Rhea Ripley)
10. Peyton Royce (by Charlotte Flair)
11. Torrie Wilson (by Shayna Baszler)
12. Bayley (by Bianca Belair)
13. Alicia Fox (by Mandy Rose)
14. Mickie James (by Lacey Evans)
15. Dakota Kai (by Rhea Ripley)
16. Mandy Rose (by Rhea Ripley)
17. Nikki Cross (by Carmella)
18. Carmella (by Tamina Snuka)
19. Alexa Bliss (by Rhea Ripley)
20. Lacey Evans by (by Shayna Baszler)
21. Ember Moon (by Nia Jax)
22. Naomi (by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler)
23. Tamina Snuka (by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler)
24. Shayna Baszler (by Nia Jax)
25. Nia Jax (by Lana)
26. Lana (by Natalya)
27. Natalya (by Bianca Belair)
28. Charlotte Flair (by Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley)
29. Rhea Ripley (by Bianca Belair)
Winner: Bianca Belair
WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Sasha Banks (c) defeated Carmella
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
Drew McIntyre (c) defeated Goldberg
WWE WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (KICKOFF)
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defeated Charlotte and Asuka (c) to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles
The WWE 24/7 Title changed hands three times at tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
The first title change saw Alicia Fox capture the WWE 24/7 Title from R-Truth. This came during the 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match as Truth hit the ring and was pinned by Fox after some comedy. This was Fox’s first reign with the title. Fox was then eliminated by Mandy Rose, and rolled up at ringside by Truth to begin his 47th 24/7 Title reign. Fox and several male Superstars then chased Truth away through the crowd.
Truth later interrupted the Kickoff panel, which featured Peter Rosenberg, Charly Caruso and others looking back at what had happened during the pay-per-view at that point. Rosenberg tricked Truth into thinking John Cena was nearby, and then hit him with a low blow to get the pin. Rosenberg then celebrated his first-ever WWE 24/7 Title reign, and ran off as Truth recovered.
Truth had been champion since winning the title back from Angel Garza on the Legends Night edition of RAW on January 4.
Wrestling News Blog 